Day 2-31 -- Discovering Rivers and Ponds

Moving slush today to avoid nasty frozen slush by tomorrow showed me many rivers in the front yard. The slush and water that I pushed and lifted looked like a moving river in spring -- filled with water and icy bits. It could have been a mini-tsunami as it moved down the walkway in front of my shovel.  Almost immediately, new water filled the space behind the shovel as it flowed from some under-snow spring or stream. Once the slush was moved, there was little else I could do but just trudge through the new water on my way to the next walking area on the slush removal agenda.

There were also two growing ponds in the front yard -- one in a depression in the front lawn and the other at the side of the driveway near the house.  Ponding was a phenomenon that I'd not heard much of living on the prairies. With the snow and rain storms prevalent in the maritimes, ponding is something I'm too familiar with now. It involves heavy rain or melting of the huge banks of snow. The water produced cannot be absorbed by the frozen ground, so ponds form. It would appear I'm all set for water fowl to take up residence, yet with the dip in temperature to below freezing, it may not be a bird's best choice today.  By Monday when there will be a hard freeze, I will have mini-glaciers -- rivers of ice -- throughout the yard.  I doubt there is enough salt and grit to make the walkways passable -- at least not safely.  My shovelling was an attempt to get the final frozen product to be a thin as possible, so when warm enough the salt will work to break it up. Time will tell. I've also learned that the car should move a few feet each day in this weather to ensure the tires don't freeze to the ground.when the slush turns to ice.

I found today that I was going with the flow of several tributaries. I did think of the outcome once they were frozen and the difficulty in self transport that will bring. There will be 'many rivers to cross but just where to begin.' The song these lyrics are from deals with the hardships of life, though those in mind likely were much more serious than navigating my yard. Metaphorically, though, the lyrics fit well with my thoughts today. Many covers of this song exist, and I've chosen my favourite to share today. Enjoy!

Many Rivers to Cross -- Joe Cocker